Liverpool – Arsenal Preview | Rickety Scaffolding and Siege Towers

D. Sanchez-Cabello

I am confident that we will beat Liverpool, though that could be because in recent times Anfield has been a cheerful place. Not since the Crouch hat trick of 2007 have we lost there. How relevant that is, who knows? But it is comforting going to a place I don’t associate with angst and frustration.

Liverpool have improved hugely and despite Brendan Rogers having a photo of Brendan Rogers on his mantelpiece, he deserves plenty of credit. He has brought some sanity to a club that was in the grips of a Glaswegian lunatic. However much they’ve improved, it often seems as though they have The Best Player in the league, Sturridge and some other guys….

Liverpool’s shortcomings arise in the other guys…

Take the West Brom game, as it is fresh in the mind. Liverpool had their moments, but the limitations of their midfield meant these came sporadically. Yacob and Mulumbu were able to dominate Gerrard and co for most of the 2nd half. Consequently the Liverpool defence lacked passing options. Instead of a simple pass to relieve pressure and begin a controlled attack, Toure and Skrtel were left to dribble out, which they did with varying success. In a way this was the precursor to Toure’s howler. Though it happened around 70 minutes, a lack of control had permeated Liverpool’s game much earlier.

It’s an odd thing, but Liverpool’s defenders are exceptionally dodgy on the ball. Agger aside – they all have the habit of transmitting their erraticism elsewhere. If Mertesacker and Koscielny are a siege tower, then Toure, Skrtel, Cissohko… are a rickety arrangement of scaffolding. When things are shaky, players fall off – Gerrard’s steadiness deserts him. Suarez’s poise can keep him steady, but lesser players struggle.

That’s the problem: Suarez may have to work upon dodgy scaffolding, but the point is he can. We played this exact same fixture back in 2012 – RVP won the game by himself. Unfortunately, Suarez can potentially do the same.

 Elsewhere

I guess were all about as happy as it is possible to be after having ‘Mourinho masterclass’ drilled remorselessly into our ears. A terrible pair of words, at odds with practically everything enjoyable in football. That said it was probably the best result we could have hoped for. City’s home form is terrifying and to quote a reader (whose name I forget!): Chelsea are the sort of team that can drop points at home to West Ham.

And if Hazard were to pull a hamstring…

An inkling I had a week ago was that City would be vulnerable without Toure and Fernandinho. As, for all their depth, they are the only midfielders they have that can make a 4-4-2 work. Rodwell has disappeared from the face of the Earth and Pellegrini’s opinion of Garcia is such that he’d rather play a 33-year-old centre back in his place. Now losing to The Away Team Specialists doesn’t mean an awful lot – the theory will need a few more games. But seeing as Fernandinho is out for the next couple of weeks, it wouldn’t surprise me if City’s form dips.

 The Team

Wilshere should be back – and without the nuisance of Lucas, in a position to control the midfield. I believe Rosicky’s composure will suit a game like this.

                                                  Wojciech

               Sagna                 Mert                  Koz             Gibbs

                                    Arteta               Wilshere

                      Rosicky                      Ozil                  Chambo/Cazorla

                                                      Giroud

Enjoy the game,

Cheers and gone.

DSC

P.S. – One of King Kenny’s more articulate press conferences…


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

103 Replies to “Liverpool – Arsenal Preview | Rickety Scaffolding and Siege Towers”

  1. We win easily in a game of football. BUT do we have a fair referee? Is PGMOL supplying untainted officials?
    My heart says Arsenal will rise above the cheats and succeed. COYG shut the poison dwarf Michael Owen up.

  2. A former epl ref has said ref face once asked him to postpone a game so that he will have a good chance of winning the epl.So the pgmol has a lot of soul searching to do.
    As menace correctly said,if it’s football the gunners will win.But you never know.Two footed lunges have been punished with a rc and some with yc. Why not have a rc so that the thug knows he will be off.
    I expect the gunners to win 1-0 or 2-1 if the ref does his job as a ref 100%

  3. Our chances look good as L’pool seem to be without many of their defenders. COYG!

    Hoping Newcastle can do us a favour…

  4. As always Liverpool is a tough nut to crack at An-field but if Giroud stays focused this will be ours,it will be the best game in Europe this weekend so im anxiously waiting for it and ready to hear what the morons/pundits will be saying before and after the match.Looks to be a lovely weekend.

  5. Again am hoping for a clean sheet ,a tight tactical game and 3 points ; while keeping the Liverpuddle duo quiet of cause !
    Up the Gunners !

  6. Think it’s a lovely weekend in Kampala, lucky you Kampalagun 🙂 Unfortunately not here though, we have 80mph gales, difficult conditions for a game of football.

    But I have hope of a positive result. I hope Poldi plays, Liverpool don’t park the bus well and a shoot on sight policy could serve us well.

  7. THE TOAST .

    John O’Reilly hoisted his beer and said, “Here’s to spending the rest of me Life, between the legs of me wife !”

    That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night !

    He went home and told his wife, Mary, “I won the prize for the Best toast of The night.”

    She said, “Aye, did ye now. And what was your toast?”
    John said, “Here’s to spending the rest of me life, sitting in church beside me wife.”

    “Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!” Mary said.

    The next day, Mary ran into one of John’s drinking buddies on the street Corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, “John won the prize the other night at The pub with a toast about you, Mary.”

    She said, “Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised myself. You know, he’s only been in there twice in the last four years. “Once I had to pull him by the ears to make him come, and the other time he fell asleep”.

  8. From the Medical Division of UA – Research Unit ….

    Research shows that there are 7 kinds of sex.

    The 1st kind of sex is called: Smurf Sex.
    This kind of sex happens when you first meet someone, and you have sex until you are blue in the face.

    The 2nd kind of sex is called: Kitchen Sex.
    This is when you have been with your partner for a short time, and you are so needy you will have sex anywhere, even in the kitchen.

    The 3rd kind of sex is called: Bedroom Sex.
    This is when you have been with your partner for a long time. You still have sex , occasionally – and if you do,you only have it in your bedroom.

    The 4th kind of sex is called: Hallway Sex
    This is when you have been with your partner for too long. When you pass each other in the hallway you both say, “F*** you.”

    The 5th kind of sex is called: Religious Sex.
    Which means you get Nun in the morning, Nun in the afternoon and Nun at night. (Very Popular)

    The 6th kind is called Courtroom Sex.
    This is when you cannot stand your wife/ husband any more. He/she takes you to court and screws you in front of everyone.

    And; last, but not least, The 7th kind of sex is called: Pension Sex.
    You get a little each month. But not enough to enjoy yourself.

    PLEASE DO NOT SEND A REPLY TO TELL ME WHAT STAGE YOU ARE IN – I have enough problems of my own!!

  9. We have to stay positive, this game can be decider but don’t have to, so it is just another game. It would be great to win, if we don’t, heck May is so far away, there is so much space for everything.

  10. Exactly Armin. It’d be nice to win, but should we lose we will only be a point off the top. Not a disaster by any means.

  11. Liverpool are a good team with some great players, which is what makes then so unpredictable.

    Easily beat an Everton team that I thought was the best team by far to come to the Em’s

    Then throw 2 points away against West Brom.

    I think what this means is anything can happen today so I’m getting splinters sat on the fence.

    The one thing I know is if we do lose, even by a couple of goals, it’s not the end of the World. Take it on the chin, re group and get ready for the next challenge.

    I know I wont over re act.

    How the Media and AAA sorts would react, even to a draw, is anyone’s business though.

  12. Yes Yassin. But we never get these decisions do we. This is now going to suit Liverpool’s counter attacking game. But if there’s any team I know that can throw a 2 goal lead away it’s Liverpool. COYG!!

  13. Saw a two-footed lunge by cissokho on the ox that could easily have broken a limb, not even deemed a foul.

  14. Ozil shoved to ground, no free kick, and from that break leads to a goal. This is absolute nonsense

  15. That is the differencr between top teams and us. They all have fans that believe in their players and manager, we dont,all we do is moan, and thatball transmit to the players spirit. The media says arsenal are going to fall down one day, no body defends them, ans that too transmit into the playera mind, f*** all this, unbleievable, they started the game brilliantly, in their ground, their fans are insane, boom a 1-0 goal lead. Come on , that all our players are fuckin missing

  16. Remember the 4-4 to Newcastle.
    Its our time now, COYG, they scored 4 in 18 min, we can do it in 45

  17. Liverpool are sensational – not sure the ref is the issue today.

    Ozil? Would have preferred Thomas Muller ( Or Bale when AW passed him over)
    Giroud….well at least AW tried to get Suarez

  18. @Marcus,
    The first goal put us under huge pressure, still not a reason to fall down, but I want a brief analysis from you, why are the team the crumbles under pressure usually? What the heck just happened out there? Its not quality of players, not skills. Its something else, we were like a team that doesnt know football.

  19. Well, we have to show our quality now, else we are going to have a lack of confidence in the upcoming games. What i’ve noticed is that we do not seem to play our game, in fact, other teams are playing our game. Looks like we did not PREPARE for pool at all, but i am hoping that we come out the Arsenal we all know, and reclaim this game.

  20. Liverpool were always going to come at us in the first twenty. Its not rocket science. Two of the best forwards in the league playing in the spaces between our back four..backed up with pace on the wings. Our midfield must track back and man mark but we set up the same way as we always do. It works against lesser sides when our passing gradually overcomes teams..not against top teams who are at it!!

  21. Yassin.

    Loving the optimism.

    On days like this you need the supporters to stand shoulder to shoulder.

    On days like this you have to understand that it happens. It’s not nice and it’s certainly not enjoyable, but it happens.

    Liverpool came out of the blocks like a house on fire. It didn’t help the Ref giving the softest of fouls and then the Linesman not picking up what looked like a tight Offside.

    It also didn’t help we allowed them to win the midfield.

    It also didn’t help that we kept giving them the ball back.

    But the truth is once there tails where up they overran us.

    All we can ask is the boys give it there all, and more, in the 2nd half.

    Goal difference is irrelevant anyway as far as the title is concerned. So just go for it.

    Whatever happens it’s only 3 points. Robbed in a close 1 nil or stuffed, it’s only 3 points.

    This is when a team needs to stick together and the fans need to stand by them all the way.

    This is what being a fan is about.

    COYG

  22. I am calm; in a properly reffed league, Arsenal would be about 10 points clear, so you have to give Liverpool credit for playing superb football.

    Ozil is not a wing to me Boo, I think he really plays NO 10, feeding attacks.

    @Yassin – You want my honest answer? I think Wilshire is over-rated. He gives the ball away too much. I think the midfield has looked flakey. Up front there is no incisiveness. We miss Walcott badly. Liverpool have two quick men, Sturridge and Sterling. We have 1, and he’s out of commission.

    But mainly Liverpool have been on fire, and they attack WITH CONVICTION. that’s why I like Walcott, when he gets the ball he goes at defences with conviction, and looks deadly. Ozil’s role in the German team is to knit together the danger men, players like Muller….Thomas Muller his a great player like Suarez, because when he gets near goal you can see that hunger to shred to the defence.

    When Liverpool went 2-0 up, AFC needed to hold the ball. It didn’t happen. That is a midfield issue.

  23. @Jambug,
    That is not called optimism, that is called supporting the team, thing all Arsenal fans shall do. If you go to other sites, you would think we are fighting relegation, it all transmit to the team.
    Will you know what: today I put my whole believe in this players, fail or not, we all should do. Liverpool were awesome, will we are better. And we can get the 4. Goals back. And yes I hope Ozil gets angry of himself and do a southampton second half.
    Come on you gunners, we need to come back, maybe not the score, but the attitude.

  24. lol. Man City were on fire and we just about drew the game 6-6. Obviously we’ll never know the true score.

    Liverpool have simply shredded our team, who truly speaking should be 10 points clear at the top of the league. You simply have to give them credit for that.

    Maybe the first call was marginally offside…but it was a close call, and they can go for you also. To dwell on that would be an injustice to a liverpool team who are playing as if they are on a high. lol

  25. This game just reinforces the belief I’ve had for a number of years now that we aren’t going to be allowed to win… anything. I really feel for AW, the team and the fans… I honestly don’t know how Arsene has been able to keep on going, knowing that whatever the team do there are forces out to… not just stop but crush them… I can hear all those spineless muppets in the media screaming with barely suppressed glee… ‘Arsenal fans do you REALLY believe Arsenal can win the title now?

    On a level playing field YES WE CAN, but level playing field are the stuff of legend and fairly tales.

  26. marcus,

    You are supporter. Support the team that we have, not go about the players that we don’t.

    It is easy to support when your team is doing well; it is on days like this that true support shines through. I am disappointed in the poor performance but I refuse to knock my team.

    This was just a bad day for Arsenal and a very good one for Liverpool. Please let’s take things in perspective.

  27. True Boo, I am being a bit harsh. But it is grating to see lowly Liverpool with a front line like that……

  28. I think the reffing issue is not a big thing today, unless that Cissokho challenge was really a red.

  29. That’s because you’re blind Marcus. Are you sure you’re an Arsenal fan? You appear delighted by this result.

  30. GooneressNo1,

    Now you need to calm down 🙂

    I actually agree with marcus’ assessment of the game, I only disagree with knocking our players. The performance was poor today but the ref’s influence is minimal.

    We’ll bounce back.

  31. Shocked actually Gooneress. But I watched the first half and didn’t see any issues. Mertesacker was pulling back Suarez. Yes we’ve seen Vidic do that a million times and not get called, yes we don’t get those calls sometimes, but it was a foul.
    Ozil slipped over I thought, not much in it. Yes, it could have been called, but it was a minimal amount of contact. Ask Walter about that one.

    What else is there to query?

    Liverpool have been devastating – so I give them credit for that.

  32. Come to think of it Marcus I did read an article on Untold… can’t recall the author at the moment but it talked about if my memory serves me right… strange folk that claim to be Arsenal fans but only appear happy when Arsenal is losing… for some reason Marcus you came to mind.

  33. I saw Flanagan make a two-footed stamp that missed Jack, and another from cissokho in the first half on the ox. Could they’ve changed the game, maybe not. But might have influenced the final result had one been punished with a red.

  34. GooneressNo1,

    Liverpool were very good and they took their chances very well. I have difficulty blaming the ref for this one. They could have score 2 more goals during those horrible 1st 18 minutes.

    It’s not the ref, we just had a bad day.

  35. AL,

    I have seen worse officiating before and we did not lose 5-1. I’m not blaming the ref for today’s result. We just had a bad day. We’ll bounce back.

  36. Refs are usually a Nightmare. Even today there where a couple of issues. But sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say well played Liverpool.

    These big scores are not unusual anymore, not even amongst the ‘big’ sides.

    when it happens to others they get a bit of stick on the day, then basically everyone moves on. It certainly isn’t, or at least shouldn’t, be season define.

    Lets just hope we’re allowed to move on after the dust settles.

    Alas I’m sure our friends in the Media and there AAA allies wont allow it.

    At least I know most of us on here will.

  37. Today, we have been well beaten by a team that was very well prepared for us. In the first 20mins, we played without energy and all Liverpool threw at us worked. It is not the end of the season or the world but we lost to a better side on this day. It is always good to own up.

  38. Ok we lost, Liverpool was much much better team today. Worse scenario 1 point behind leader and second. So heads up. Team showed character today, they get out in second half and decided to fix things as much as they could, and they have tried till very last minute. For me that is something to build on. After every defeat we managed to get up, we will again. Long way to May.

  39. Absolute first half horror show, when we are bad, we are very very bad. We seem to have got used to getting away with being slow out of the blocks, today up against a team who at home are very quick out of the blocks. The defence got no cover, arteta did not look right, wonder if he was injured and played due to a lack of alternatives. We really could have done with flam today.
    This team still have a big week, they need to put this behind them and bounce back very quickly.
    Unfortunately, this result would have made most of the country very happy and provided big ammunition for those who don’t like our manager.
    Most of them, maybe with the exception of wilshere deserve a Steve bould hair dryer!

  40. Those 1st 18 minutes just felt like I was having a nightmare. Liverpool could have scored 6 in that time.

    As Shakabula and jambug have also said, we should just dust ourselves up and move on.

  41. Just a poor day for everyone at Arsenal. Still only 3 points and Chelsea and City have to go to Anfield yet too. How we react on Wednesday night against United is what is important now. Chin up

  42. Not the result most of us hoped for or expected. Bredna, Oliver, linesman and thugs were too potent a combination today. But lets give the players support for never giving up and also for showing their appreciation for the fans immediately post game.

    The important thing now is move on and prepare for the next fixture.

    Re Giroud coming off – he was getting hacked continuously every time the ball came near him (unpunished of course), I suspect at 5 down AW took Giroud & Ozil off to have them available for the Manures.

  43. Yes Olivier and Özil were just substituted for damage control while Nacho really had bad day.
    With Manure in sight, can we get better chance for recuperation and regrouping.

  44. Would like to see Ozil in a slightly more central role, he did not affect the game today.

  45. @Marcus, kudos to being one of the few people on here to have the grace to admit that the opposition were superb.

    So we lost, now we have to beat Manu. That’s essential.

  46. Very ,very poor day at the office ,but this was one of the games that we had marked down as one where we could drop points – and we did !
    Hope the players move on ,get drunk, rest and get ready for the Manure game .
    If I remember right in 1998 , we were trashed 4-0 by Liverpond ( they’ve grown slightly from a puddle!) after we had won the title .So nothing new !
    Keep the faith .

  47. Yes guys, the better team won today. Will bounce back against manure on Wednesday. Can I just ask everyone to completely blank sperez and co when they come on here. Let them have their say…., let’s just ignore them.

  48. The moment I saw the first goal I knew it would be a long afternoon. To the credit of Liverpool, they never stopped running at us. It’s too early to put on black clothes though. The boys looked like their minds weren’t there. Or as if they figured out the match is lost and just spared their efforts for the next game. The way things stand, it’s easier to win at home against manure, than away at one of the fastest attacking teams in the PL.

  49. That’s the thing about ref bias it doesn’t always work for them but quite often it has a detrimental affect on the game and of course the team they attempt to disadvantage.

    We must indeed dust ourselves down and prepare with vigour for our next game against… moan utd where I expect the ref to be as even handed as usual. Ignore the nay sayers, the spineless and the hysterical (Akasuna & co)and keep on going because that’s what real champions do.

  50. Let’s look on the bright side, for every miserable loser there is a happy winner. Today it’s our turn to be miserable and the Liverpool fans (plus sperez and his pals in the AAA) to be happy. Furthermore that result has made it that little bit harder for Spuds to get 4th spot, every cloud has a silver lining.
    On the game it was one of those days when nothing goes right, they happen. I was proud of Jack today, tremendous attitude, he never gave up and took his normal number of fouls and kicks like a man, including a blatant bodycheck by Gerrard which left him in a heap on the turf near the end which didn’t even draw a foul.
    Now let’s give Man U a good beating in our midweek and get our revenge on the scousers next weekend.

  51. Only lost 3 points today. Nothing more, nothing less.
    Still 39 points to play for. In the worst case scenario tonight 1 point behind the league leader(s). Nothing is lost.

  52. Rupert Cook.

    Nice post. Didn’t expect that from you but credit where it’s due. (although there’s more than just Marcus taking it on the chin).

  53. Mike.. LOL

    And we drew the second half don’t forget that !!!

    As it happens, the more I think of it the more I’m convincing myself that perhaps today wasn’t so bad after all.

  54. All we need now is for Norwich and Newcastle to keep it under 6 and I really will think, actually it’s been our day !!!!

  55. I’m sorry I know toothy has previously scored a lot of goals but I don’t think he’s nearly as good as his agents in the media would have us believe. COYG

  56. @GooneressNo 1, brilliant comment about Suarez. At least Arsenal fans still have a sense of humour.

    @jambug, thank you. Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition. The worrying thing is what this will do to morale. Losing 2-1 or 3-1 is something you can explain away but 5-1 is hard to rationalize. It’s also extremely worrying that we can’t beat the best teams when we really need to which is something which has been a problem for some time now. It’s all very well beating all the poorer teams but sometimes you have to beat the big teams and I wouldn’t include Pool as we’ve got the measure of them many times in recent years but Chelsea, City and Manu very rarely lose to us in key games. Now is the time to vanquish those teams in our remaining games, we need to beat all three I reckon. If we do that will be a very concrete step forward.

  57. Rupert Cook,

    How do you define “key games” in the league? I have always thought that all 38 games are key.

    Talking about beating the poorer teams that you just scoffed at as no big deal, imagine Jose’s feelings in May about drawing ‘poor’ West Ham at home if Chelsea loses the league by 1 point. You may fixate with the big teams all you want but in the league, all teams are equal.

  58. Beating the ‘big teams’ would shut up, at least for a while, some of the naysayers but at the end of the season it’s how many points you have, no matter who you beat.

    I’m not saying it wouldn’t be nice, and it certainly would boost confidence, but lets not get hung up on it.

  59. Yes, there’s nothing such as big games, all 38 games are just as important as each other. no point winning against Arsenal if you then go on to lose against a so called lesser side.

  60. @Bootoome, yes they’re all key but we have had the same problem for years that when we needed to beat the best we couldn’t. Nobody wins every game but we need to take points off the big teams, not only adding to our points tally but also stopping them adding to theirs. We needed to beat Chelsea and Everton at home, we’d then have four more points and Chelsea one less. Doesn’t mean we’d win the league but it would be a better position than we’re now in.

    And I didn’t scoff at beating poorer teams, I said it’s all very well beating them implying that that is not enough.

  61. The games that I thought would make or break our season were Pool, Chelsea, Southampton, Manu, Man City and Everton away. Not expecting to win all of them but we need more points than we’ve taken so far because we’re not going to win every game against weaker teams either. Our points tally from those games so far has been 1pt. Awful.

    The home games that would make or break our season were Manu, Chelsea and City. The only three that I think we’d struggle to beat at home and so far we’ve only played Chelsea and got 1pt.

    It’s only my opinion and can you argue all night about the unscientific conclusions I’ve reached which is fine. You don’t have to agree with me.

  62. Rupert Cook,

    When did Liverpool become “the best”? Haven’t we beaten them already this season and haven’t lost at Anfield for 7 years. We have won 18 of the 24 games that we needed to win. No team has a better record than us in the league. What are you talking about.

    If the ‘great’ Man city had beaten ‘poor’ Cardiff, Sunderland and Aston Villa, they’d be far and out leaders by now. Same goes for Chelsea but the only team that you keep knocking is Arsenal. At least we lose to good teams. You did scoff at the poor teams or you wouldn’t write like victories against them are inferior to those against the big teams.

    Losing today was painful enough but having folks like you rubbish the team’s record to date based on the game is just unacceptable.

  63. @Bootoome, did you actually read my post at 3.49? Obviously not. You do your best to be obtuse but it’s quite obvious that until we learn to beat the best teams in the league we won’t be winning it.

  64. Oh and we lost to Aston Villa too or have you forgotten? I mean I know it was the first game of the season and we all want to forget it.

    All teams lose to inferior teams occasionally.

  65. Rupert Cook

    And you started so well !

    You’re not getting all uppity again just because your back up, in the shape of Tom and Sperez, has arrived are you?

    Probably not, just Leopard and spots and all that.

  66. Rupert Cook,

    “but it’s quite obvious that until we learn to beat the best teams in the league we won’t be winning it.”

    You don’t even understand what you wrote, do you? You come across as mathematically deficient. You don’t need to beat the big teams. You need to win more points than any other team. Come on, learn how to add numbers up before making inane statements as concrete facts.

    And I consider a charge of being obtuse as a compliment from you, troll.

  67. @Bootoome, have you not realized how many points we’ve lost to the best teams in recent seasons?

    Of course you need to beat the big teams. But let’s see how we perform against City, Manu and Chelsea and if we lose all of them then I’m sure we’ll still win the league.

    I understand exactly what I wrote, not sure you do though as you claimed I said Pool were a big team when I clearly didn’t. Read posts before you comment on them.

    @jambug, this guy is a clown, the same one who claimed that it made no difference whether Ozil played in some 17 games and the results were the same as the ones he didn’t play in last year. If you can’t see the stupidity of that comment I can’t help you.

    Tom makes some valid points. Sperez is a miserable sod I agree but even he does make some relevant points, it’s the obnoxious way he frames them that is so annoying.

  68. Since I felt there were some dodgy offside decisions today, I checked out the linesmen and guess what, one of them was the same linesman from the City game (S.Bart). Off course I have no idea if it was the one who made the wrong calls, but still thought it was an interesting coincidence.

  69. Rupert Cook.

    You make some valid points.

    The problem is I cant take you serious because your views are so obvious pre ordained by an underlying agenda against Wenger.

    You probably think my views are tainted by a similar ‘pro Wenger’ agenda, which is fine. That’s why I’m here posting on a pro Wenger site.

    The thing I cant figure out is why you are !!

  70. Game lost, Arsenal were outplayed &out run
    … but we will see what Citeh and Chelski will got when they visit Anfield 🙂
    M. Olivier was really good today, I wish EPL has 30 refs like M. Olivier in that form.

  71. @jambug, no you didn’t say it, Bootoome did. My apologies, I didn’t make it clear.

    As for an agenda against Wenger sounds like I’m plotting his downfall. I’m just tired of the same old same old. I’m not even sure I’d wholly blame Wenger though I think he’s stuck to one style of play that has yielded us nothing. I also wonder how much our ambition is stifled by Kronke who is hardly known for his huge success in the sporting world.

    This season has been good so far but I expect the usual collapse against the big teams because that’s what happens every year either down to poor tactics or just lack of squad depth. If we beat City, Chelsea and Manu I’ll gladly eat humble pie.

  72. Rupert Cook,

    You are the clown and the moron. Go and check our results from equal matches pre and post Ozil. Our points haul are about the same if not a little better than after him. When I see comments like Ozil has lifted Arsenal since his arrival from unthinking drones like you, I see it as nothing but an attempt to discount the efforts of of all the other players who have through unity of purpose brought us to where we are today.

    I am happy that Ozil plays for Arsenal, but unlike you, I just don’t buy the bullshit praise singing that he made us title contenders that we are. If you think he did, please provide the evidence.

    Last season, we won 2 nil at Anfield, this season, we lost 5-1 with Ozil
    Last season, we lost 2-1 at home to Chelsea, this season we drew 0-0 with Ozil
    Last season, we drew 1-1 at Etihad, this season, we lost 6-3 with Ozil
    Last season, we lost 1-0 at Old Trafford, the season, we lost 1-0 with Ozil
    Last season, we drew 0-0 with Everton at home, this season, we drew 1-1 with ozil.

    Please provide your own evidence of how Ozil has been responsible for where the team is today, match by match, compared with before his arrival. Provide evidence to back your position or forever be silent on the topic.

  73. In fairness Bootoomee our improvement this season has been down to a number of factors, none more so than keeping the players we had and a number of them improving, most notably Ramsay. But you cannot discount the fact that Ozil has been a big factor in it too. Mertesacker summed it up very well yesteday in the Guardian interview when he said

    “To reach another level, you sometimes need the right addition to lift everybody, not just the players but the whole club and the whole public in between,” We didn’t need five or six players late in the window, which is what Arsenal got when I arrived [in August 2011]. It is not easy to get everyone settled. We were a good squad and we didn’t lose any players over the summer, which was the main part. But we needed that right addition and we can say that Özil was it.”

  74. TJ,

    I don’t disagree with Ozil’s input but I cannot accept the meme that our current standing is due to him. You’ll agree with me that many people have been saying that for some time now. We are the team that we are today because the team that finished last half season as the best was kept together like you rightly said. That, more than anything else, is responsible for where we are today.

    Having said that, I recognise Ozil’s talent and I appreciate his contribution to the team.

  75. @Bootoome, you don’t get it do you? If Ozil had played last season we might have won those games (or lost them or drawn them) and also Ozil would have a whole season to settle in which it appears he needs. You can’t compare results because the personnel are totally different. Understand?

  76. I thought we kept the team together Rupert so our personnel is not that different at all?

    Just imagine we would have bought him two season ago…what might have happened then?

  77. @Walter, I’m talking about the personnel of both sides not just our team. You can’t replicate the exact same conditions in any of those games so you can’t declare whether Ozil would have been effective or not. It’s complete nonsense.

    If we’d have bought him two seasons ago we’d have probably sold him for a healthy profit 🙂

  78. Rupert.

    Apology accepted.

    Boo can fight his own fights but to keep just saying ‘if’ ‘but’ and ‘maybe’ is no answer to the facts put before you.

    Personally I believe, and have said before, that regardless of new, or returning individuals, our overall improvement, as of early last year, is primarily down to a more settled side with players more used to each other. That aligned to a better work rate, resulting in a more solid, defensive set up, hence the high ratio of clean sheets.

    Offensively I feel we are decent. We miss Theo more than we should, and for this reason I believe another ‘speedster’ is required to up the offensive potential of the team.

    I have also said that, as good as he is, and as much as he is a quality signing, Ozils biggest contribution is in the way his arrival has changed the way we are perceived from the outside.

  79. jambug wrote:

    “Ozils biggest contribution is in the way his arrival has changed the way we are perceived from the outside.”

    Exactly! It is all about the media noise that stemmed from his price tag and his old team. Personally, I think Cazorla made a bigger impact on the team when he joined us than Ozil. I know I’ll be accused of blasphemy for this but Carzola came into a weakened team that had lost its captain and talismanic goalscorer along with our toughest if not best midfielder (RvP and Song). Cazorla was our player of the year for 2012/13 after collecting more than half of all the player of the month awards on arsenal.com. Ozil is yet to win any after 5 months. Is it not funny that Arsenal fans aren’t voting for our so called saviour in our player of the month awards? The guy seldom come 2nd even.

    For the umpteenth time, however, I have nothing but love for Ozil. My issue is with those who give him accolades that he hasn’t earned and who blame other players (especially Giroud) whenever he (Ozil) has a bad game.

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